With U.S.-Iran War Ongoing... Defense Secretary Hegsess Takes Wife and Six Children on Official Trip to France

Attended the 82nd Anniversary of the Normandy Landings

"Covering Expenses Personally," but Unusual Behavior Criticized

Pete Hegsess, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, is facing controversy after it was revealed that he brought his six children along on an official trip to France.

The Washington Post, an American daily newspaper, reported on the 6th (local time) that Secretary Hegsess traveled to France the previous day accompanied by his wife, Jennifer Hegsess, and their six children. Secretary Hegsess has three children from his second marriage, while his third wife, Jennifer, also has three children from a previous marriage. In addition, Hegsess and Jennifer have one daughter together.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegsees is attending the 'Easter Egg Roll' event held at the White House last April with his spouse Jennifer Hegsees. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

Secretary Hegsess traveled to France to attend the 82nd anniversary ceremony of the Normandy landings. His itinerary also included talks with the French Minister of Defense. In relation to this, a former official from the Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID), which is responsible for the security of senior Pentagon officials, pointed out, "I've never seen an entire family accompany a secretary on an official trip," emphasizing how unusual this situation is.

Secretary Hegsess's team stated that "the Secretary is covering all expenses necessary for bringing his family," and Pentagon spokesperson Shawn Parnell said, "Secretary Hegsess is strictly adhering to all ethical regulations and guidelines." However, there was no mention of whether additional security costs for the family were included in these expenses.

When a secretary brings family members along on a foreign trip, additional security personnel must accompany them. This is especially the case given the ongoing war between the United States and Iran, which has heightened the risk of terrorist threats against the Secretary of Defense, making security measures more sensitive than usual and requiring protection to prevent family members from becoming targets. Furthermore, the U.S. Department of State previously issued a travel advisory for France warning U.S. citizens of possible terrorist threats.

Sources testified that the workload of the CID has increased during the approximately 17 months since Secretary Hegsess took office. Previously, Secretary Hegsess also caused controversy by requesting security for his two ex-wives residing in Minnesota and Tennessee. The resulting increase in costs has reportedly made it difficult for the CID to conduct agent training and criminal investigation work.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.